5 Pillars of Islam
Quran
Quran


The five pillars of Islam is to provide a foundation of Muslin life.
  • faith or belief to only one God
  • establishment for daily prayers
  • giving charity as an act of worship for it to purify the person
  • fasting; where Muslim abstain from eating,drink, and any sexual contact
  • pilgrimage; Muslims will make a pilgrimage to Mecca to call for Allah at least once in a lifetime.



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People in Arabia during the time live in tribes were they traded goods, in the main city of Mecca.
  • Umayyad clan of the Qurayus Bedouin tribe were at the head of commercial economy
  • In Mecca, there were bazaars, were merchants sold goods
  • In the town people trade, exchange gossip and enjoyed city life
  • Wells and springs were the water source of growing wheat and other staples
  • Caravan trade on camels and goats along the coast of Arabia
  • traded in the main city of Mecca, flourished with goods all over the world
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Social class in Arabia differs from previous classical civilizations with women having more rights compared
to others.
  • Women had more freedom and higher status compared to the other classical civilizations
  • Women were allowed jobs:milking cows, raising children, weaving cloth
  • women were NOT equal to men
  • men gain glory as warriors
  • people were allow to have multiple wifes / husbands
      • warriors
      • slave families
  • women generally had more freedom because muhammad allowed freedom to his wife and daughter
  • Muhammad believed that they were allowed rights => influence the women's social class
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In a tribe, there would a leader, shaykhs, who made decisions on who was allow protection or not.
  • Leader of tribes and clans were name the shaykhs
  • shaykhs were chosen by the leaders of the tribes or the councils of elder advisers
  • tribes were very important to people because it is was provides protection
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Interactions between tribes were not always a friendly take but a takeover in land.
  • Clans would join together to gain control of land for watering places
  • wars between clans would usually break out because of violence and taking over pasture areas
  • constant fighting between the clans would weaken the nomadic people
  • water wells were important to tribes and the need to take over one could cause war
  • traded with other civilizations for luxurious goods
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In the capital city, Mecca, Muslims prayed in the Ka'ba for only one God when religion was spread by Mohammad.
  • Ka'ba – site of religious shrines
  • tribes had a blend of religions with animism and polytheism
  • Head god; Allah
  • Gods and spirits would be focused on natural spirits – heat and earth
  • Religion was not blended in with their own ethics
  • However ethics and morals was an unwritten conduct of life
  • Muhammad was the speaker of God, "Only one God" that saying united tribes, sense of unity
  • Religion from Muhammad also caused war between Mecca and followers of Muhammad
  • Qur'ran was the book filled with rules by God from Muhammad's sayings
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  • Poems were read out loud about Heroes in war and great accomplishments
  • poems offer a better vision for life
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  • In wars, men would fight with spears, bows and arrows

10/20 -
To officially become a Muslim, you would have to follow 5 pillars . . .

1. Shahadah( the Islamic Creed): A shahadah is basically the declaration of faith in Islam with the statement, "I witness that, there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God"
  • continuous making efforts throughout life, reaching full potential
  • believing that there is only one God, that explains the relationship with God and being a servant of God
  • God use people to sent prophets, where Muhammad was the messenger to receive a revelation, according to the Qur'ran. With messengers it confirms what God is addressing in early scriptures.
2. Salah( Muslims' Daily Prayer): to pray 5 times a day with recitations and physical movements that was first thought by Muhammad
  • prayers between dawn and sunrise, noon to mid-afternoon, between mid-afternoon and just before sunset, at sunset, twilight until nighttime
  • pre-praying Muslims does a short washing to purifies the worshiper when praying
  • when praying all Muslims pray in Arabic
  • begins with reciting or specific words and selected verses from the Qur'an while standing, bowing, kneeling, standing with hands and forehead touching the ground
  • at the end, each prayer might have their own pray for guidance and help
  • masjid is a position of prayer called sugjids with hands and forehead touching the ground when kneeling
  • masjid is done at an enclosed space towards the city of Mecca where the Ka'bah is located
  • in prayer sites there are only mats or rugs
3. Sawn( Fasting): one month per year, usually around September Muslims would not eat or drink between dawn and sunset. However at sunset people are allow to break fast to eat
  • with Fasting it goes back with the Qur'an because at the end of 30 days, the Qu'ran would be completely read; the early prophets and religions would be practice
  • At the end of 30 days of fasting, there would be a big meal called the itftar where meals are donated by community members.
  • fasting is the help build self control, and encourage kindness towards others
4. Zakah( Charity as a Duty) - to give money back to the community to symbolize the purification from greed in the past
  • hadith says that charity is necessity for every Muslim, just to help others and doing good
  • when donating money it reminds Muslims that they should help the less fortunate
  • Even if there is no money to give, according to the prophet, Muslims should do their best to NOT do evil
5. Hajj( Journey to Mekkah)
  • in a Muslim life, in his/her lifetime, a journey to Mekkah should be made during a certain time of year
  • doing this, it represents the reenactment of trials and sacrifices of the Prophet and what they had done over 4000 years ago
  • A Hajj is a must because its important to the faith and practice of Muslims
  • Before going to Mecca, the person must be dress in white sheets, or dresses to represent purity, unity, and equality
  • It would being in the first house of worship to call for God
  • With other pilgrimages near Mecca, prays would be done to remember the struggle Abraham went through with Satan and the Biblical Quranic story about how he would sacrifice his son for God. With the sacrifice, God would reward him
  • Once pilgrimage is finish, the person much trim or cut hair to return back to Mecca for a final visit to the Ka'bah

10/21 - Video Notes on Muslim

Summary:
Islam was a civilization made based on faith and belief. With it, Muslim faith began with Muhammad. He was born into a family of a nomadic trade in Arabia, to a mother and a father. However by age 6, he was orphaned and taken in by his uncle. As he grew, he must have had an open mind to all situations because of his orphaned situation. Muhammad became a merchant and got married. A day when he was in a cave, he saw an angel, an angel in the form of a man's body. This angel spoke to his telling him, " That the is only one God." It was a message from god, and he was the messenger. Except he went into the town of Mecca, to spread the word of how one God could unite to people of the tribes with their constant fighting. As time go on, people wanted to write his relavations down on what is now called the Ka'bab. People in Mecca, saw this faith ruining their economy and wanted Muhammad gone forever. When his uncle and wife died, he lacked the protection from the people of Mecca, and left to northern Mecca where people wanted his to create peace. There he left with people to sacrifice their family and ancestors to live in to new faith. It was the beginning of a new faith where people are together not by blood but by faith. Even moving to a new place, it lead to the fight because the people and Mecca and Muhammad's people. It was three long years of bloody fighting, but Muhammad win with other tribes believing in this faith and all lead to believing the same thing. Normally after winning a battle, people would face the wrath of their revenge, but Muhammad only destroy their idols in other spiritual beings that break apart the tribal system. Muslim faith was the new vision of seeing things and that faith filled their void for guidance in life.

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How did the death of Muhammad lead to the Expansion of Islam?
  • It influenced others to be brace and strong, with their own sense of devotion to god to expand
What were the motivations for Islamic conquest?
  • to make to religion to good to others
  • ability to share the booty gain from expansion
  • sense of unity
  • make use of Bedouin warriors

How were the Umayyads able to defeat their adversaries?
  • Going in to the hear of the civilization to take over the place forcing the people to surrender
  • Constant invasions
  • To the people in Byzantines, Arabs use their own beliefs of not taxing them so high that cause Christians to rallied to the Arabs
What caused the major division in Islam?
  • Revenged wanted by the Umayyads because Uthaman was murdered under Muhammad.
  • Warfare
What was the extent of the Islamic Empire under the Umayyads?
  • Arabia, Parts of Europe and Asia, and northern Africa
How were people of the book treated under the Umayyads?
  • People had to pay commercial and property taxes
Explain gender structures under the Umayyads
  • women were allowed active roles in politics
  • women jobs did ranged from ships,laws and commerce
  • men were allowed only 4 wives
  • legals rights of women were strengthen
What factors led to the decline of the Umayyads?
  • Umayyads families were using the money for fancy buildings for themselves
  • Leaders began to live in pleasure, instead of serving the people
  • Warriors were anger for their lack of share of money
  • Rebels revoking against the Umayyads
How did the death of Muhammad lead to the Expansion of Islam?
· When he died his diciples took over the middle east, and made a caliph
· Caliph was the leader of the muslim faith
· Help them become imdepent, stronger
What were the motivations for Islamic conquest?
· Unity, revenge, and wealth
· Glorify Religion and beliefs wellknown
· Make use of bedouins warriors to take over land for booty
How were the Umayyads able to defeat their adversaries?
· Grouping more follows in opposite side
· Raids against their leader
What caused the major division in Islam?
· Death of Ali
· Revenge
· Warfare
What was the extent of the Islamic Empire under the Umayyads?
· Parts of Asia, Europe, Northern Africa, and Arabia
How were people of the book treated under the Umayyads?
· Treated harshly
· Payed commercial tax
Explain gender structures under the Umayyads
· Women had more freedom
· Participate in law, commerce, and ships
What factors led to the decline of the Umayyads?
· Life of luxury
· Dirty in war
· Warrior got aggravated with not money going to them
· Rebels




10/23 ESPIRT pages 143-160




Notes of Stateless societies, Songhay Kingdom, Congo society Swahili Coast

Stateless societies
  • stateless societies was an organized connection that does not have a central political power
  • no tax was put on the people but there was a ruler with his court or by the community
  • Stateless societies were strong in Africa for that internal problems is easily solved, external problems such as war was hard to avoid
  • religion was based of culture of dancing, drumming, and sacrifice; where they believed in good and bad spirits
  • economy - mainly settled in agriculture, market life and controlled trade

Songhay Kingdom
  • located around the Niger Valley, areas mainly of soil
  • economy strive on farming and herding and fishing
  • when found sources of gold it influence creations of mosques and a merchant community
  • Muhammad the Great, ruled of the kingdom at one point, expanded the land all the way to central Sudan
  • The fall of the kingdom was from revolts causing it to break up
Swahili coast of East Africa
  • The Swahili was a strong trading port where goods come from Madagascar trading it all the way up to the Persian Gulf
  • Goods would consists of bananas to coconuts, and exchange of beliefs(towns around the coast constantly traded
  • Cultures of Persian and Swahili blended where there was language writing in Arabic
  • Families were also converting to Muslim practice
  • Culture became highly diffused as the trading increased